Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make a sandwich. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the fantasy of “The Magic Faraway Tree,” the character study of “The Rivals of Amziah King” and the drama of “Late Fame.”Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “The Magic Faraway Tree,” a modern fairytale for kids and the young at heart, a family discovers what it means to be a family in this tale of dreams, childlike wonder and tomato sauce. “The magic of childhood is always forgot,” says Moonface (Nonso Anozie), “but this is the story of one who did not.”CAST: Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, Rebecca Ferguson. Directed by Ben Gregor.
REVIEW: Adapted from Enid Blyton’s book series “The Faraway Tree,” the film is a cheerful and charming film that embraces its whimsical nature to provide both heartfelt and humorous moments.
Andrew Garfield is Tim, a stay-at-home dad to technology addicted teenagers Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Fran (Billie Gadsdon) and husband to inventor Polly (Claire Foy). When she discovers the high-tech fridge she’s been working on is also being used to spy on its owners, she hastily quits. With her resignation goes the family’s company home and car, leaving them at a crossroads.
Hauling out their Dream Binder, a decade old collection of paintings of their hopes and dreams, the couple to run away and start a new life and a tomato sauce business in the country.
“The countryside is filled with the most amazing trees,” says Tim. “Literally the most boring things in the world,” says the dour-faced Beth, who can’t imagine an unplugged life.
On arrival they find a house that is not really a house. “It is more of a barn,” says Polly. The older, unimpressed kids can’t charge their gadgets, and Joe asks, “Are we going back in time?”
When youngest daughter Fran returns a purse dropped by a someone on the woods, she receives an invitation to the mystical Far Away Magic Tree by tree resident Silky (Nicola Coughlan). Despite being warned not to go into the enchanted woods, Fran makes the trip and discovers a world of fairies and new worlds, like the Land of Goodies.
Fran returns days later with her siblings who visit the Land of Birthdays, where Beth makes a wish that just might change the family’s lives and fortunes.
“The Magic Faraway Tree” shares the sentiment of “Toy Story 5.” Both films discourage screen use and encourage embracing the imagination and playtime of childhood but do so in very different ways. The Pixar film is dramatic versus the quirky, broad tone of “The Magic Faraway tree.” Part fantasy, part Benny Hill (but without the annoying music), it’s a heartwarming cross between an English pantomime, “Narnia” and the family dynamics of “Paddington.” Screenwriter Simon Farnaby, it should be noted, wrote “Paddington 2.” Then influences blends together like puzzle pieces, especially in the fantasy scenes.
“The Magic Faraway Tree” is a sweet natured, uplifting story of a family repairing broken bonds that delivers a dose of adult dreams tempered by child-like magic.
